Stories and storytelling in particular has never got old in marketing. It’s a format that has been in use for decades. But what’s a novelty is virtual stories and their role in social media strategies, Especially Instagram Stories.

Did you know Instagram stories were used by 500 million people daily, and 1/3 of all stories posted are from business accounts? They hold the potential to transform your brand if you get them right.

So, to spread your wings digitally, you need to learn how to make the most out of this IG feature, and we are here to help you with that. This article will highlight the ins and out of Insta stories and guide you on how to apply them optimally for your business!

Instagram Stories For Business: The Reel Deal

Gone are the days when IG used to be simple and accommodated only posts and videos. Stories were first introduced in 2016 but due to their popularity they have since been upgraded a lot.

They are vertical full-screen videos and photos that are not visible on your profile and last only 24 hours. However, they are more interactive and spot-on. Thus, many businesses combine stories with other content in their marketing efforts.

According to IG’s internal reports, stories encourage viewers to use Insta more frequently as they create a sense of urgency. Moreover, stories now dominate IG and are more effective at drawing attention than the square images (Insta Grids)

Step to create stories:

1. Open the IG app and click on the plus (+) icon on top of your screen, or swipe right to enter the story creator mode

2. Now, you will be given two options

  • Select a saved media from your smartphone, like pre-existing photos or clips from your camera roll.
  • Use the story mode to record or shoot new content. This can be done by clicking the white circle in the centre to click photos or holding it to record videos.

3. You can even switch to the front camera for a selfie view by tapping the camera icon at the bottom right.

4. There are other options as well on the left side of the screen. These include:

  • Create
  • Boomerang
  • Multi-Capture
  • Layout

Check metrics for story

It’s not just important to create stories; you must also keep an eye on them. Businesses must know how their stories are performing.

This can be done directly if the Story is still live — which means it was uploaded less than 24 hours ago. By just tapping the Story icon, you can see the viewer count of the specific story.

To gain more insights, tap the number present on the bottom, and you will be able to see the demographic of the people who watched your story.

If the story is no longer live, you can still view its metrics through the dashboard. The IG dashboard can provide detailed insight, such as reach and impressions for each story. You can set the time frame to 7 days, 2 weeks, or even a month, and IG analytics will provide you with historical data as you choose.

Some terms you will come across when analysing metrics are:

  • Reach: the number of unique users who viewed the Story
  • Impressions: the total view the Story received.

How can businesses benefit from IG stories?

Stories are not only for individuals but have also helped businesses create brand awareness. In addition, this form of social sharing has presented marketing strategists with new ways to interact with their audience online.

Instagram Stories lets businesses connect with their target audience and build customer loyalty. The sharing of quick visuals allows you to give the viewers a tiny peek behind the scenes—and they love that. It has catapulted many companies into the limelight by helping them cut through the noise and reach users daily. But the key is to post regular stories and fill them with engaging content.

Moreover, as stories disappear in a day, businesses must ensure that they come up with fresh content daily. This not only keeps their present customers updated but also brings in more followers.

So if you use stories well and keep up-to-date on its latest features, you can stay ahead of the competition. Of course, you can use tools to enhance your story creation as well.

Below are some Instagram Stories hacks which will help you build your audience like a pro:

5 Hacks to use Insta stories like a pro

1. Stickers

Instagram has a complete set of stickers that creators can benefit from. These are catchy and intuitive. So businesses can use them to engage their viewers and even gain data from them/ stickers like polls, questions and gift cards can lead to increased conversion and conversation.

instagram stories image

2. Hashtags

Instagram has been the pioneer of hashtag trends; you can also add these in stories (10 max) to get more reach. Using the correct tags can attract more followers and thus get new customers. For businesses, this is an easy way to expand their clientele.

instagram stories hashtag example

3. Location

Adding a specific location to your Story can also expand its reach. It can be viewed by people beyond your followers. If any IG user searches for a location and you have tagged it in your story, it has the potential to be viewed by that specific account. So it’s a simple trick to gain a lot more views.

a list of locations on instagram storiesinstagram story location image example

4. Highlights:

If you don’t want your stories to disappear after 24 hours, you can always place them as highlights on your profile. By highlighting the right stories and pinning those on the main profile, businesses stand a better chance of impressing newcomers. In addition, it provides an excellent opportunity to showcase your brand’s best-defining content.
nike instagram story highlights

5. Links

Adding direct links to your website or any other digital platform on your IG story is handy so that users can directly land from there. However, Instagram allows you to add URLs to your story only if you have 10,000 followers or a verified account.

Instagram stories link example

Stories; an Art Revived Digitally

We hope by checking out our article you understand better where to fit IG stories in your social media marketing plan. If you want to progress on Instagram, communicating with your audience in an engaging way you cannot do so without implementing some aspects of Instagram stories. Then, you can use the mentioned hacks and watch as your followers grow and eventually become paying customers.

Aim to be consistent, as the Instagram algorithm favours consistency. By being consistent with your approach and creating catchy content, you can make Stories your next Successful Marketing Gig.

So get ready to revive the art of storytelling by going digital with IG!